John McCain

Instead of holding a press conference at Sandy Hook National Park tomorrow to talk about the environment, presidential candidate John McCain will be at Liberty Science Center in Jersey City. 

The event begins with a press conference at 11:00 a.m., followed by a tour of an exhibit with former Gov. Tom Kean, Sr.

The Sandy Hook event was canceled due to rain. 

Representative Frank Pallone acknowledged today that Hillary Clinton is the underdog for the Democratic presidential nomination, but said that he will continue supporting her until she either wins or decides to end her run.

“I’m sticking with her. I think it’s her decision to decide what she wants to do,” he said. “As long as she’s running I’m supporting her.”

Pallone disputed the conventional wisdom that Barack Obama is virtually sure to win the nomination, saying that it’s “still possible for (Clinton) to win”

“You still have some primaries, you still have the superdelegates and you still have Florida and Michigan,” he said.

Republican United States Senate candidate Murray Sabrin warned his party’s presumptive presidential nominee today that his stance on Iraq is dragging down the Republican Party.

"As it is most likely you will be the Republican nominee for President and I will be the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in New Jersey, we’re going to be running mates this November” said Sabrin in a video message to Sen. John. “So I have one really big favor to ask of you from one maverick to the other: stop trying to convince the American people that you are right in our involvement in Iraq’s civil war.”

Sabrin cited a recent Monmouth University poll that showed Obama besting McCain in New Jersey by 24%, and a Bergen Record poll that showed McCain trailing by 8%.

Princeton biotech executive John Crowley, who had declined to run for Senate, is reconsidering and will make a decision soon, according to friend and advisor Bill Spadea.

“John is tremendously impressed by the outpouring of support and encouragement that has come from his colleagues, his friends and his family. People of all political beliefs have come forward to offer their good wishes for a potential U.S. Senate run, and they sense what a special opportunity a Crowley candidacy presents for the citizens for New Jersey,” said Spadea. “John and his family are considering this enormous well of support, and will be making a decision shortly.”

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama both narrowly lead John McCain in New Jersey, according to a Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll released this morning.

In head-to-head match-ups, Clinton and Obama both beat McCain by 5 point margins – with Clinton having 48% to McCain’s 43%, and Obama having 47% to McCain’s 42%. Obama appears to draw more from independents, while Clinton has stronger support from the state’s Democratic base.

That differs from a Rasmussen poll released earlier this week that shows John McCain leading both Clinton and Obama, though within the poll's margin of error.

A Rasmussen poll released this morning shows Republican presidential candidate John McCain in a statistical dead heat with both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in New Jersey.

McCain holds slight leads against both Obama and Clinton in the Garden State, though both within the poll’s margin of error.

McCain leads Clinton 45%-42%, while he leads Obama by a slightly narrower margin – 46%-45%.

That’s a major change from a month ago, when Rasmussen showed Clinton beating McCain in New Jersey by 11 points. But while Clinton’s support seems to have plunged, Obama remains almost exactly the same – last month, McCain led him 45-43%.

McCain man Joseph ColettiIt was only a couple of months ago that Jersey native Joe Coletti helped set up a lowkey evening of baseball and politics in Manchester, N.H. for his boss, U.S. Sen. John McCain, who was clawing into contention inch-by-inch after flailing in the background through a tough summer and early fall.

On that particular night, as McCain and Boston Red Sox ace Curt Schilling shagged questions from the small crowd, the candidate was in the midst of a week-long whirlwind of New Hampshire events, and the polls were showing him slowly becoming a force again.

McCain in New Jersey: Photo by Getty ImagesSeveral television networks have declared John McCain the winner of the New Jersey Republican primary by a sizable margin.

Two final New Jersey polls show Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican John McCain with leads in their respective fields.

A Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll shows Clinton leading Barack Obama 46%-41%. A Strategic Vision poll shows Clinton leading Obama 47%-41%.

The Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll shows McCain with 53%, Mitt Romney with 24%, and Mike Huckabee with 5%. The Strategic Vision poll shows McCain with 55%, Romney with 25%, and Huckabee with 10%.

Perhaps it wasn’t the best strategic campaign stop for John McCain, but he came to Hamilton today anyway accompanied by an entourage of nationally prominent Republicans and even one former Democratic vice presidential candidate.

Joining McCain today at the Colonial Volunteer Firehouse were Rudy Giuliani, Sen. Joe Lieberman [I/D-CT], Sen. Phil Graham [R-TX], Sen. Lindsey Graham [R-SC], Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and Rep. Vito Fossella [R-NY].

It was also a time to shine for McCain’s tried and true New Jersey supporters – especially those who backed the candidate even when his campaign was hobbled by low cash and low poll numbers: State Senators Bill Baroni, Kevin O’Toole and Sean Kean; GOP State Chairman Tom Wilson; Morris County Freeholder John Murphy; former 9th district congressional candidate Vincent Micco and Bergen County Clerk Kathe Donovan.